Josephine (Chez Dumonet)

Bring your appetite and wallet to this bistro – a perennial favorite for old-fashioned dishes like boeuf bourguignon, duck confit and gigot d’agneau. It’s the French bistro you’ve always imagined right down to the communal pot of pickled herring, the gruff waiters and red gingham toilet. They make a mean Grand Marnier soufflé as big as your head that must (and should) be ordered at the beginning of the meal. The millefeuille is worth saving room for, too. When half portions are available, order those as they tend to be the size of any other restaurant’s normal portions. There’s an excellent selection of Armagnac and other digestifs to help wash down all the duck fat.

David Lebovitz (2015) “All the meals that I’ve had at Chez Dumonet, a spot-on classic Parisian bistro, have been memorable…The memories last long after that feeling of being absolutely stuffed have diminished — the next few days after a meal here are invariably ‘salad days.'”

Condé Nast Traveler (2015) “With its lace curtains and old-fashioned duck confit and sole bonne femme, this classic bistro feels like the kind of place you’d take your grandmother. I like to dress up a little to go here.”

Time Out (2013) “After a slab of excellent homemade terrine, we tried the often-abused tournedos Rossini. Here, the fresh truffles and slice of foie gras on a tender fillet might have found favour with the great musician.”

Bon Appétit (2012) “Josephine “Chez Dumonet” crackles with that uniquely Parisian atmosphere created by the collision of serious power and seriously good food (and maybe more than a little sex–this Belle Epoque beauty is mistress central). Eat the most sublime terrine de foie gras you’ve ever had, then scarf down a casserole of what, for our euros, is the world’s ultimate beef bourguignonne.”

The Guardian (2011) “… a delicious sepia-toned experience of pre-war Paris… if you’re craving old-school dishes like morel mushrooms stuffed with foie gras, truffles and country ham…and bœuf bourguignon, you won’t do better than this…”

We love Paris. We’ve been coming to Paris every year for 15 years for a month each time and we speak French. We’ve been to Josephine many times before, but something has happened to the staff. Maybe it’s too much blog exposure, like what happened over the years to Balzar and to Robert & Louise. We had a very ordinary unmemorable meal there tonight – and paid almost 400 euros for our food & wine. The staff was very unwelcoming even though we had reserved in advance and we were seated in the rear room next to the toilettes, which was unpleasantly interruptive. The soufflé was as big as ever, but no better than a Grand Marnier souffle at many other restaurants. The duck confit was no bigger or better than confit at our other favorite restaurants. No one even noticed or said au revoir when we left. They’ve got a valet out front now, probably to handle the crowds of Americans – it was so impersonal that we will not be going back.

We love Chez Dumonet. But we also like many of the new chefs in Paris. It would be great to go to dinner with a reviewer from Paris by Mouth like Carherine Down. We come could even tell jokes about Rachel M